But on this issue, Hill demurred. “It’s highly unlikely and here’s why: Truly creative people like to work on more than one thing at a time,” she said. “The thing that an independent agency offers them is the ability to work with more than one client. And I think it is going to be very difficult for in-house agencies to attract the caliber of talent that an independent agency can attract.”

No doubt, whether the rise in in-house agencies is a hot trend or nothing particularly new, the report leaves external agencies with their own issues to ponder—especially as, per the report, 56% of clients with in-house capabilities have moved inside assignments that were handled by an external agency. “It’s been very clear for quite some time that agencies need to be much more agile and faster to respond, and that’s what real-time marketing has pushed us all toward,” Hill said. “That’s what clients are looking for. How fast can you respond, are you measuring it, and is it appropriate for the brand? Those are the three big questions.”

And there is plenty marketers will continue to leave to external agencies. “[The] tactical capabilities, they are becoming easier to bring in house,” Lewnes said. “But there are certain things that I am not considering bringing in-house: big creative ideas, which continue to be the foundation. I still rely heavily on Goodby [Silverstein & Partners] as my agency of record for the big idea. They have a much more objective view of the landscape; their business to me is big ideas and so I think that’s a huge leverage point for agencies. A big opportunity for agencies is to help accelerate marketers’ move to digital. Agencies have a huge opportunity to go in and be trusted advisors to go in and implement.”

Speros agreed. “I would not dismiss external agencies because they do have a lot to offer,” he said. “They bring an external perspective that is healthy, and they have the benefit of working across diverse industries, so you get a different view on creative. Also, the topic of staying on top of trends is an important one that in-house agencies can sometimes fall short on.”

Verdone similarly doesn’t eschew external agencies. “You need the external perspective. As a company, we are very focused on being customer-driven. In order to be that, you have to be outside-in. You always have to have an external perspective, for an understanding of the world around you,” she said.

“Agencies have got to have the pulse of customer trends, customer behavior—that’s probably the biggest topic right now: how consumers are behaving with media, with the changing marketplace, with the change in TV viewership, the change in the full media landscape,” Verdone said. “[Understanding that is] the real value an external agency can provide.”